RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Transformation of primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences of healthcare professionals in eight European countries
JF British Journal of General Practice
JO Br J Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP e634
OP e642
DO 10.3399/BJGP.2020.1112
VO 71
IS 709
A1 Marta Wanat
A1 Melanie Hoste
A1 Nina Gobat
A1 Marilena Anastasaki
A1 Femke Böhmer
A1 Slawomir Chlabicz
A1 Annelies Colliers
A1 Karen Farrell
A1 Maria-Nefeli Karkana
A1 John Kinsman
A1 Christos Lionis
A1 Ludmila Marcinowicz
A1 Katrin Reinhardt
A1 Ingmarie Skoglund
A1 Pär-Daniel Sundvall
A1 Akke Vellinga
A1 Theo JM Verheij
A1 Herman Goossens
A1 Christopher C Butler
A1 Alike van der Velden
A1 Sibyl Anthierens
A1 Sarah Tonkin-Crine
YR 2021
UL http://bjgp.org/content/71/709/e634.abstract
AB Background Primary care has a crucial role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as the first point of patient care and gatekeeper to secondary care. Qualitative studies exploring the experiences of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic have mainly focused on secondary care.Aim To gain an understanding of the experiences of European primary care professionals (PCPs) working during the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design and setting An exploratory qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews in primary care in England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Greece, and Sweden, between April and July 2020.Method Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed, and analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis techniques.Results Eighty interviews were conducted with PCPs. PCPs had to make their own decisions on how to rapidly transform services in relation to COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care. Despite being overwhelmed with guidance, they often lacked access to practical training. Consequently, PCPs turned to their colleagues for moral support and information to try to quickly adjust to new ways of working, including remote care, and to deal with uncertainty.Conclusion PCPs rapidly transformed primary care delivery despite a number of challenges. Representation of primary care at policy level and engagement with local primary care champions are needed to facilitate easy and coordinated access to practical information on how to adapt services, ongoing training, and access to appropriate mental health support services for PCPs. Preservation of autonomy and responsiveness of primary care are critical to preserve the ability for rapid transformation in any future crisis of care delivery.